Who Let the Dog Out?
by dancingandsingingintherain
Summary: Superman's pet dog, Krypto discovers he has been captured and shipped to a laboratory, in effort to avoid being used for animal research, the dog of steel must find a way to escape and get back to Metropolis.
1. To Capture a Superdog you Must

**Disclaimer: All characters are property of DC Comics and Warner Bros.**

_April 11__th__-7:30pm Eastern Time._

It was a clear Monday night in Metropolis, for the most part people were normally out and about or working late. Among those currently out was a certain superdog. Sitting on the rooftop of the Daily Planet was Krypto. While on his way back from the Hall of Justice, he went to have a look around the city. After an hour or so, he stopped to take a break.

"Pretty quiet tonight, guess I'll go home and…" just then, Krypto heard a noise not too far away. "Huh?"

He looked in the direction of where the noise came from and went to investigate. As he entered the alley behind Chez Joey's, a popular five star restaurant, he sniffed the ground. The dog of steel paused and looked around, something didn't smell right. Tail tucked between his legs, he started to back out of the alley.

"Ok, I should just get out of here."

Just as he was about to run, Krypto felt a sharp pain in his right hind leg and yelped. "Hey!" using his teeth, he pulled out the kryptonite tipped dart and stared at it.

"What the…?" he wondered.

Krypto was quickly alerted by the sound of glass breaking. The noise came from the opposite end of the alley.

Deciding not to stick around, Krypto took off running.

"Whatever that stuff is it's…" he stopped in his tracks, feeling weak.

"Pretty strong."

Letting out a loud yawn, Krypto then collapsed on the ground.

_Later…_

_April 12__th__-9:30am Eastern Time_

Krypto woke up on what felt like a hard cement floor. He groaned as he opened his eyes and sat up.

"I feel like I got ran over by a truck."

He then stood on all fours and shook himself.

"A big rig truck."

Krypto stretched and yawned, feeling rather stiff from being on the floor.

"That tranquilizer knocked me out."

He then looked around the room.

"Ok, where am I? Some kennel obviously."

Lifting his head up, Krypto sniffed the air but nothing smelled familiar.

"And it's not Star Labs but…"

He was alerted by the sound door opening.

His ears perked up when he heard somebody coming.

"Huh?" he wondered, feeling curious.

Looking through the wiring of the kennel he spotted a tall figure approaching.

He yelped in surprise once he saw her.

"What in the world?!" Krypto sputtered.

"Oh good, you're awake." Said the Scientist.

"Uh, yeah obviously," Krypto replied, still nervous.

He was up against the back wall of the kennel, tail between his legs and ears laying flat on the sides of his head. His blue eyes stared at her yellow ones fearfully.

"I've never been this close to a dog before. Now then…" the Scientist paused and was about to open the kennel but stopped when a voice rang out.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The Scientist and Krypto both looked up.

Krypto quickly recognized the other person in the room.

"You?! Of all the places where I end up, it had to be in this dump." He said to himself, looking at what he assumed was the Scientist's boss.

"And how is our canine friend?" Her boss asked.

"I'm not sure, I came in and he was awake." The Scientist explained.

"Good, so…" her boss, the Ambassador as he was referred to, walked up for a closer look.

"Wait a second!" he exclaimed.

"What is it?" the Scientist asked.

"I know that dog!" the answered.

The Scientist raised an eyebrow.

"You do?" she continued.

"Yes, when I went to Krypton years ago. This dog belongs to the El Family. I don't remember his name though." The Ambassador explained. He had been to Krypton once, when he was fourteen and remembered Krypto and his owners.

The Scientist looked rather surprised, replying with an: "Oh,"

"I know this dog anywhere, except the last time I saw him he was a puppy." The Ambassador added.

He started to open Krypto's kennel and was alerted by a loud bark.

The Ambassador yelped and stepped back.

"Obviously he remembers you too." said The Scientist.

She was right, Krypto did remember him and his name… Dax, but he had never seen the Scientist before.

"Would you like me to leave? It seems you two have a lot of catching up to do." she joked.

The Ambassador, Dax glanced at her with a cynical look on his face.

"Very funny, Tamar. Just… look up any information you can find about this dog. I'll be back in an hour. I've got an interview in Metropolis." He said.

The Scientist, Tamar frowned.

"With who?" she asked.

"Eh, some journalist named Lois Lane. Anyway…" Dax was cut off.

"You better go," said Tamar.

"You're right… I'll be back." And with that, Dax left.

Tamar and Krypto looked at the door then each other.

"Well, let's get started." She sighed.

Krypto tilted his head.

"Started with what?" he wondered.

Moments later, he was sitting on an exam table, much like the ones in a vet's office.

Tamar stared at him, she was surprised Krypto didn't struggle or snap, he just sat there looking at her.

"Hmm," she muttered and started to examine his right ear.

Tamar paused when she noticed something on her gloves.

"Ugh! Dog hair." She growled and decided to remove her gloves.

She then checked his ears, muzzle and face.

"I've never seen a dog with blue eyes before." She admitted.

Although Tamar had done research on animals, most of the dogs she had seen in photos and stock footage had brown, yellow, hazel or amber colored eyes.

She then opened Krypto's mouth and shuddered at seeing his pearly white canine teeth. Besides looking at photos and footage, Tamar had also read about large dogs such as Mastiffs, German shepherds, Rottweilers and Dobermans. They were strong breeds and Krypto was no exception.

After checking his mouth, she then looked at his fur and legs. Krypto flinched when he felt her grab his tail.

"Hey!" he yelped and barked at her.

"Relax, dog. I just want to take a look at you." Tamar told him.

"Uh, lady I got a physical two weeks ago and my vet's hands aren't nearly as cold as yours." Krypto barked.

"Done." Tamar announced.

She went over to the computer and started to type. It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for.

"According to this article, it says your name is Superdog."

Krypto looked up and glanced at the computer screen, recognizing his photo in an article on the Daily Planet's website.

"And…"

Tamar paused and typed superdog in the website's search bar.

"You're Superman's pet." She said.

"Duh! Took you that look to figure it out?" Krypto asked.

"You are one unique mutt." Tamar told him.

"Ok, we established that, now can you let me outta here so I can go home?" Krypto replied.

Tamar didn't understand a word he said, the whole thing sounded like a bunch of barks and whines.

"Sorry, I don't speak dog." She said.

She then looked at the tag on Krypto's collar.

"Interesting…"

_Later…_

_10:30 am- Eastern time._

Krypto was still on the exam table although Tamar had finished giving him a physical, she didn't put him back in the kennel for some reason.

Lifting his left hind leg, Krypto began to scratch his ear causing his tag to rattle.

"Are you done?" Tamar asked, sounding somewhat annoyed.

Krypto stopped and lowered his leg.

"Thank you," said Tamar.

She glanced at his paws, and flinched at seeing the long ebony black claws on the end of his toes.

Tamar took notes on an ipad like tablet and went back over to the computer.

Krypto sighed and stretched out, with his front paws hanging off the exam table.

Tamar turned around, raising an eyebrow.

Krypto simply blinked, not making a sound.

He and Tamar were quickly alerted by the sound of the door opening.

"I'm back. So, how'd you make out?" Dax asked.

"Well, for starters he's called Superdog." Tamar answered.

Dax raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Krypto.

"Superdog, huh?"

Krypto looked up at hearing this.

"According to records I've downloaded from Star Labs, he's not only Superman's pet but also…" Tamar stopped short when she and Dax noticed something.

"Hey, where'd he go?"

Dax quickly spotted Krypto heading for the door.

"Got'cha!" he said.

Krypto yelped as Dax grabbed him by his collar and placed him back on the exam table.

"Nice try." Dax told him.

"Anyway, there isn't any kind of identification on him, except this tag." Tamar explained, holding it up for Dax to see.

'Good thing she didn't check me for a microchip.' Krypto thought.

"So, what's next?" Dax asked, as he scratched his neck.

"Not much else, I gave him a complete physical," Tamar replied.

"That I didn't need," said Krypto, even though he knew Dax and Tamar couldn't understand him.

"And?" Dax continued.

"He's healthy," Tamar answered.

"In that case, I suppose he's good to go." Said Dax.

"Finally!" Krypto sighed, hoping they were going to release him. His tail began to wag at hearing this.

"So, I guess now I'll start running tests," Tamar concluded.

Krypto's tail stopped wagging.

"Tests?! Wait a second, I didn't sign up for this at all." He barked.

_Later that day…_

_8:15pm-Eastern Time._

"Well, this is great, not only am I stuck here but I'm starving." Krypto said to himself.

He was back in his kennel and learned that the cement floor had small fragments of kryptonite that made him weak enough to prevent him from escaping.

Krypto whined, he hadn't eaten anything all day.

Tamar, who was sitting at the computer on the opposite end of the room, growled in frustration.

"There he goes again." She muttered. For almost half an hour she tried to ignore Krypto's barking and whining but now she couldn't take it anymore.

"What's wrong now?" Dax asked as he entered the lab, hearing Krypto howl.

"I don't know," Tamar replied.

Dax walked over to Krypto's kennel and looked at him.

"When was the last time he's had food or water?" he asked.

"I have no idea, maybe you should ask him." Tamar replied sarcastically.

"Tamar, please. Dogs can't talk," said Dax.

Krypto growled at him.

"Hey, I'm starving here!"

He then started to bark.

"Just…get him some food and water, anything to shut that mutt up." Dax continued.

Tamar nodded and left the room.

A few minutes later, Krypto was alerted by the sound of the kennel door opening.

"All right! I was beginning to…"

He paused and looked down at what was in the stainless steel bowl in front of him. The contents in the bowl looked more like oatmeal than canned dog food.

"You gotta be kidding. Bibbo's dinner has better stuff in their dumpster than this junk."

Krypto pushed the bowl aside and sniffed the other one.

He lapped up some of the cool water, glad to have something that helped his dry throat.

"At least the water's the same."

Krypto continued to drink the water until the bowl was half empty.

"Much better," he said, now that he was no longer feeling dehydrated.

He then looked up at Tamar.

"What?" she asked.

Krypto whined, staring at her with a pleading look in his eyes.

"I don't know what that means." Said Tamar.

"Come back with something edible and I'll tell you." Krypto offered.

He barked at her, trying to make a point.

"Something wrong?" Dax asked.

"He won't eat," Tamar replied.

"I'm not surprised, animals tend to do that when out of their comfort zone." Said Dax.

"You got that right; you people got me in a rusty kennel for crying out loud, sheesh!" Krypto said.

"I've got an idea," Dax announced.

Krypto and Tamar looked at him, obviously surprised.

"You do?" she asked.

A short time later, Tamar had left and came back with a different bowl.

"What now?" Krypto wondered as he watched her place it on the floor.

He glanced at the bowl and was shocked at what was in it.

"Kibble?"

He sniffed it to be sure it was the real thing and sure enough it was.

"Well, beggars can't be choosers. At least it's something I recognize."

Krypto then started to eat, this was the first meal he had all day.

"How's he doing?" Dax asked.

"Much better," Tamar answered.

"Good, let me know how he does." Said Dax.

"Will do," Tamar replied.

Krypto licked the bowl in attempt to get the last of the beef flavored crumbs.

"Not exactly, filet mignon but it'll do." he said to himself.

After getting another drink of water, he stretched out and yawned.

"No! If I fall asleep, who knows what they'll do… gotta stay awake."

_1 hour later…_

"Ohh, I'm so tired." Krypto groaned.

He looked over at Tamar who was sorting through some papers on her desk.

"Well, she's busy. Maybe one nap couldn't hurt." Krypto concluded.

He curled up in a corner of the kennel and went to sleep.

_The next day…_

Krypto blinked twice before he opened his eyes. He then slowly got to his feet and stretched, flexing his stiff muscles. Sleeping on a hard floor was anything but comfortable.

"Oy, what a night."

He shook himself and checked his surroundings.

"She's gone!"

"All right, maybe now I can get out of here."

Just as he was about to place his paws between a gap in the kennel, the door opened.

"Or maybe not." He sighed.

Shortly after sniffing the air, he sneezed. It didn't take long for him to recognize the scent.

"I know that smell, that's Wally! I wonder if anyone's looking for me."

_Meanwhile…_

_April 13__th__-7:28am, Eastern Time…_

"Find him?" Nightwing asked.

"No, you guys?" Kid Flash replied.

"Nope," Batgirl sighed.

They were currently near Chez Joey's where Krypto was last seen.

"Karen's looked everywhere and so have Bat-hound and I." she explained, as she stroked the German Shepherd behind his ears.

"That's weird, it's like he's not in Metropolis anymore." Said Bumblebee.

Kid Flash looked over in the alley and gasped.

"I think you're right." He said, pointing at the ground.

The five of them looked in the same direction and noticed a few paw prints along with tracks they didn't recognize.

While Nightwing and the others continued their search, Krypto's morning was anything but pleasant.

"At least they remember to feed me," he said to himself, after finishing up the kibble in his dish.

He lapped up some of the fresh water Tamar had left just a few moments ago. The dog of steel was quickly alerted by the door opening and footsteps.

"Who's there?" he barked.

Looking up, he saw who it was.

"Oh, it's you."

He then growled at Tamar.

"Easy, Superdog." She said before typing in the code and opening the kennel.

"Come 'on now."

She went to grab his collar but stopped when Krypto whined.

Tamar looked at him for a moment, she could see that he was afraid and felt sorry for him. She shook her head, snapping out of her thought.

"Just come 'on," she insisted and pulled Krypto by the collar and placed him on the exam table.

Krypto yelped in surprise feeling the cool steel underneath his paws.

"Cold table!"

Once he got over the shock, he glanced at Tamar. It was obvious she had little or no experience with animals.

"What?" she asked.

Krypto simply tilted his head in reply.

"Eh," Tamar muttered, shrugging her shoulders.

_Later…_

"Hey, what are you gonna do?" Krypto wondered.

He shut his eyes briefly when Tamar examined them with a small flashlight.

"Hmm…"

She looked at Krypto's front paws, mainly his dew claws and paw pads.

After a moment, she walked away.

"O…K." Krypto said to himself.

He heard Tamar on the opposite end of the room. She was looking for something in a drawer and was having a hard time finding it.

"What's next?" Krypto wondered.

Moments later, he found out just what she was up to.

Krypto's barking could be heard throughout the room as well as in a nearby hallway.

"Hold still!" said Tamar.

She grunted and struggled to hold him.

"What's going on in here?" Dax asked as he entered. He had heard Krypto barking and decided to investigate.

"I've ran all the DNA tests, except for one." Tamar explained.

"Which is…?" Dax said, frowning at this.

"I took hair and saliva samples and his paw prints, now I just need to do blood work, but he won't keep still. This dog is stronger than he looks" Tamar replied.

"Maybe I can help," Dax suggested.

"Go ahead," said Tamar before stepping aside.

Dax struggled to get a hold of Krypto but after a moment of trial and error he held him down.

"Got him," he said.

Krypto howled in pain when he felt a needle prick his skin, he was also shaking.

"Did you get it?" Dax asked after a moment.

"Yes, one sample is all I need." Tamar replied, she set aside the needle and vial containing the blood sample.

After placing a band aid on Krypto's left leg, Dax loosened his grip.

The two of them looked at each other, two sets of eyes, one blue and the other orange just stared at one another.

"I hope he had his vaccines." Said Dax.

"Of course I've had my shots and the last place I want to be is stuck in some lab with you two." Krypto barked.

He continued to stare at Dax, making it obvious he didn't appreciate the vaccine remark.

Dax looked over at Tamar, ending his and Krypto's staring contest.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing… don't mind me, I won't interrupt your conversation." She joked.

Dax's eyes widened for a minute, he stared at the Scientist angrily.

"Uh, never mind." Tamar said nervously.

_Later that day…_

_5:30pm, Eastern Time_

Krypto yawned, feeling both bored and tired.

Tamar did the same and realized what she did.

"Hey, knock it off! It's contagious." She told Krypto.

"Can't help it," he said, even though it sounded like a bunch of barks to her.

He nipped a hang nail on his dew claw and stretched out on the exam table.

Apart from Tamar typing on the computer keyboard the room was quiet.

"Rough day?" Dax asked.

Tamar yelped in surprise.

"Would you please stop doing that?!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry," Dax apologized and stepped back giving Tamar some space.

She didn't hear him come in and was startled when he came up behind her.

He glanced at the computer screen, reading the information she had on file about Krypto.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" she asked.

Dax was quiet for a minute then spoke.

"No, not really. As soon as you're done, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"Sure thing, listen Dax I was wondering if…" Tamar was cut off.

"Can't talk now, we'll continue this later." He said before making his exit.

"But…"Tamar sputtered.

Next thing she heard was the door shut.

Letting out a loud sigh, the female Reach went back over to Krypto.

"Twelve years later and I can't get a word in. I mean really… just once I think things would be better if he was nicer to…" Tamar stopped short and turned around.

She groaned realizing Krypto was sitting there just watching. He wasn't barking or anything.

"Great, I'm talking to a dog! Like you understand a word I'm saying." Said Tamar.

Krypto smiled.

"Oh, you'd be surprised."

"Honestly, I…oh forget it." Tamar said in a frustrated tone.

"Sounds like Dax hasn't changed since the last time." Krypto concluded.

Tamar sighed and looked at Krypto.

"I guess some things never change." She said, stroking his soft fur.

"Yeah," Krypto agreed.

_Later that night…_

_9:45pm, Eastern time._

"Well, that does it for today." Said Tamar.

Once Krypto was back in his kennel, she shut the door.

"See you tomorrow." She told him.

After entering the code, she turned off the lights before leaving the room.

Krypto groaned as he stretched.

"Ohhh, see me tomorrow."

Just then, he had an idea.

"Or will you?"

He looked at the door before walking to the back of the kennel. Krypto circled three times before he settled down for the night. Having slept on the hard cement floor the night before, he was glad to find what looked like a mat in the corner. Shortly after closing his eyes, Krypto nodded off.

The next day, Krypto woke up early. Although he had only been in this place for two days, he quickly learned about Tamar's routine. She normally came in around seven a.m. and went on a break around eleven-thirty. It was currently five in the morning, for the next hour Krypto tried to figure out how to escape. Krypto yawned and stretched after a while.

"Now to get out of here."

Krypto paused when he heard a faint growl.

"After I get something in my stomach first."

_Later…_

_April 14__th__-7:30am, Eastern Time_

Krypto's ears perked up at the sound of the door opening. Now that he had a full stomach, he was ready to get to work.

"Showtime!"

He stretched out on the floor and began to howl in pain.

"What the…?" Tamar sputtered, startled by the noise.

She went over to the kennel and noticed Krypto laying there, barely moving.

"You don't look so good." Said Tamar.

Feeling frustrated, she groaned.

"Last thing I need is a sick dog."

She punched in the code for the kennel door and picked Krypto up; laying him on the examination table.

Letting out a loud sigh, she looked at his limp body.

"What am I going to do with you?" she asked.

Walking over to a nearby shelf, she looked around for some medication for him.

No sooner did she have her back turned, Krypto opened his eyes.

Shortly after he stood up and jumped off the table.

'Hey! Come back here!" Tamar exclaimed, going after him.

"Morning," Dax greeted her as he entered the lab.

"How's it go…?"

"Shut that door!" Tamar yelled.

"Whoa!" Dax sputtered when he saw Krypto.

The superdog ran into him, knocking him over.

"What happened?" Dax asked.

"I don't know, I thought he was stick but I guess not." Tamar answered.

"This dog is smarter than we thought." Said Dax.

Letting out a grunt, he stood up.

"No doubt," Tamar replied.

_April 14__th__-9:45 am, Eastern Time_

Krypto had been running for a while, the hallways were long and not clearly marked making it hard for him to find a way out and the alarm blaring overhead didn't make it easier.

He sniffed around the hallway and picked up the scent of fresh air.

"Exit's gotta be around here somewhere." Said Krypto.

Now that he got the scent, he decided to keep going.

While Krypto tried to find a way out, Tamar and Dax went around looking for him.

After checking several places, the two of them stopped for a moment.

"Did you find him?" Dax asked.

Tamar panted for a minute, trying to catch her breath.

"No, we're still looking. At this point, he could be anywhere."

Dax growled at hearing this.

"Keep searching, I want that superdog!"

"I'll check the east side, maybe he's gone that way." Said Tamar before she headed off down the hallway.

Krypto panted heavily, all this running was exhausting and he needed to rest.

No sooner did he sit down, he heard the sound of footsteps.

Krypto jumped up and yelped.

"Better get going." Krypto said to himself.

He took off running, wherever the exit was, he was determined to find it…


	2. Let the Hunt Begin

**So this chapter starts by jumping back in time, but later on it will jump forward to the times that the story left off on the last chapter.**

* * *

_April 11th 11:47pm Eastern Time - Kent Farm (59 hours ealier)_

"John, he should be home by now," Martha Kent said to her husband while pacing around the living room. Clark was off world, so he asked his adopted parents to watch over his dog, Krypto, until he returned.

"Martha, Krypto's probably fine. He most likely is fight some more crime and will be back soon," Jonathan Kent reassured his wife.

"I know John, but I just can't shake this feeling of that something is not right. I know he is probably fine, I mean he is Superdog for Pete's sake, but usually he's home by now. He knows that Kara is in Metropolis and could take care of things after his patrol or if it's too much for him to handle," Martha told John while continuing her pacing.

"How 'bout this, we wait until around 12:15 and if he's not home by then we can ask Connor or Kara to come help find him. Sound good?" John suggested. Martha replied with a small nod of her head before returning to her pacing.

* * *

"John, it's been twenty minutes and Krypto still isn't home," Martha informed her husband as if he didn't know what time it was.

"Alright, I'll go call Connor," John said as he walked to the kitchen to grab the phone.

* * *

_April 12th 12:18am - Mount Justice_

_"I knew you were trouble when you walked in._

_Shame on me now._

_Flew me to places I've never been_

_'Til you put me down._

_Oh, I knew you were trouble when you walked in._

_Now I'm lying on the cold hard ground..."_

Connor's phone rang on his bedside table. Grunting, he brought his hand to the bedside table and started to patting around looking for the source of the excruciatingly loud noise. Once the blaring device was in his hand he brought it to his face and opened one eye to look at the caller I.D.

"Hello," Connor croaked into the device.

"Connor, sorry to bother you, but we need your help with something," Jonathan told him.

Connor sighed before saying, "Look, if Kara or Krypto destroyed the farm again, tell them to fix it themselves."

"Krypto's missing." With that Connor jolted up into the sitting postion firing off questions rapidly knowing that the dog was near and dear to Clark, Kara, Martha and Johnathan.

"Slow down kid," John Kent said on the other line. With the phone wedged between his ear and shoulder, Connor pulled on a pair of jeans over his boxers while slowly repeating his questions.

"When did this happen? Where did this happen? Why did this happen? How did this happen?"

"Now if I knew all of those questions I wouldn't need your help son. All I know is that he didn't come home from Metropolis at his usual time of 11:30pm," John told him.

"Okay, I'll find him. I'll keep you in the loop," Connor said while banging on everyone's door that he knew was staying the night at Mount Justice.

"Alright. Bye Connor and thank you," John said.

"No problem. Talk to you later Grandpa," Connor told him before ending the phone call.

"Connor, what the hell is all of this about?" Barbara demanded standing in the doorway of Dick's room with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pajama pants and an over sized shirt that he guessed belonged to Dick. Her arms were crossed and she wore a pissed expression.

"I agree with Barbara on this one," Dick said behind her. He was shirtless like Connor, but instead of jeans he had on Batman Pajama pants. Connor didn't even want to know what was going on in that room moments earlier.

Everyone was looking at Connor as if they agreed with Barbara and Dick as well. Sighing and running a hand through his messy hair, Connor said, "Krypto's missing."

"Missing as in Kara just lost him in Metropolis park again or missing as in 'Oh my God, Clark's going to kill because his dog is absolutely nowhere to be found'?" Barbara asked. Last time Krypto was 'lost' Kara was walking him in the park and tied him to a bench to go get ice cream. When Kara got back Krypto was nowhere to be found and Kara panicked and called Barbara for help. Turns out Krypto was just hungry and chewed his way through the leash to go find the taco truck.

"The latter. Plus, why would Kara walk him at midnight?" Connor asked.

"We've done it before," Barbara replied recieving odd looks from her teammates. "It was a cover up to go to a party. If you tell Clark, Batman, Martha, or Jonathan about it you all are dead." The team only noddd wide eyed.

"On a completely different note, let's wait until morning and if Krypto is still a no show then we go after. Right now get a good nights sleep and be prepared if the time comes tomorrow," Dick told the team in his leader mode voice. The team nodded before turning back to their respective rooms for the rest of the nights.

* * *

_April 14th 9:50am Eastern Time - Downtown Metropolis_

Superboy, Nightwing, Batgirl, Ace, Bumblebee, Kid Flash, Black Canary and Green Arrow all stood in a circle in the alley that Krypto was taken from.

"So let me get this straight, we have absolutely nothing to go off of," Black Canary stated. Her and GA were helping because they knew what it was like to deal with an angry Kryptonian and they didn't want the team or themselves to have to deal with one if they didn't find Krypto before Clark came back with the league from the trial.

"No. We have paw prints that might be his," Karen replied pointing to the muddy paw prints on the ground of the alley.

Straying from the group, Dick wondered through the alley analyzing every inch of it. Dumpster, recycling, knocked over trash, a dart, more knocked over trash - wait a minute, back up a second. Dick walked over to the dart to inspect it.

"Guys. Guys, I think I found something," Nightwing hollered towards the group. Batgirl squated down next to Nightwing looking at the dart as well.

"Kryptonite," Batgirl informed the rest of the group.

"So you're saying that Krypto is dead?" Questioned Wally.

"Way to be optimistic," Karen said sarcastically.

"It's not enough to kill him, only enough to knock him out for a while. I'd say he was shot in about a foot radius of here. The shot came from about... uh, ten fifteen yards from this location at a downwards angle. I'd say from the roof of that building," Nightwing said pointing to the roof of Chez Joey's.

"Dang. How'd you do that math so fast?" GA asked.

"Simple trig.," Dick replied nonchalantly.

* * *

_April 14th 10:12am Eastern Time - S.T.A.R. Labs_

He had been running around the lab for nearly a half an hour and Krypto still couldn't find and exit. _Either people only enter, but not exit or they need new exit signs, _Krypto thought as he stopped running and panted to catch his breath. _And I thought that walking with Kara was a workout in its own weird way._

If Krypto wasn't panting so hard he probably would have paid attention to his superhearing. A young boy was approching fast grumbling about how stupid S.T.A.R. Labs was and how all he wanted was to get out of the establishment and fast.

By the time the young boy turned the corner it was too late for Krypto to run without being seen, so Krypto decided against running not only because of that, but also because he was still to tired to move.

The boy and the dog froze, staring at each other, trying to figure the other out. _Was the boy a good guy or a bad guy?_ Krypto wondered. _What in the name of Batman is a dog doing just sitting there in the middle of the hallway panting like it had been running for non-stop for a while? _The young boy thought.

Bending down at the waist slightly, the boy said, "Come here doggy. I won't hurt you."

_Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before, _thought Krypto.

"Come on. A dog like you doesn't belong in a place like this," the boy continued.

_Okay, I officially like this kid. He must be one of the good guys,_ Krypto decided as he got up and walked over to greet the boy.

"What's your name, boy?" The boy asked.

"Krypto," Krypto responded although all the boy heard was a bark.

"Alrighty then. My name is Virgil. So, what were you running from?" The boy, Virgil, asked.

"Mean people that call each other Tamar and Dax," Krypto sneared.

"I take their not nice people. Well, how about you come room with me and later we can find a way to get both you and me out of this brutal place?" Virgil suggested.

"I thought you'd never ask."

"I'll take all your excited barking as a yes." And with that Virgil picked Krypto up and carried him off to his room with him. Little did Virgil know that Tamar and Dax were still searching the entire visinity trying to find that very dog.

* * *

**Sorry the story wasn't as much from Krypto's POV this time, but I felt like I needed to explain why and who exactly were looking for Krypto.**


	3. Just When Things Couldn't Get Any Worse

_April 14 10:30am Eastern Time - S.T.A.R. Labs with Virgil and Krypto_

Holding Krypto, Virgil walked into his room at S.T.A.R. Labs and closed the door behind the two. Virgil gently set Krypto down on the ground and walked over to his S.T.A.R. Labs issued laptop on his desk. Virgil typed in 'missing dogs' into the Lex Corp. search engine starting his search on who the dog that he found actually was.

Bored and tired from all the running, Krypto curled up on Virgil's bed as Virgil continued to type away.

* * *

_April 14 11:45am Eastern Time - Mount Justice_

There was a low hum from the machine analyzing the dart to confirm everyone's suspicion of it being Kryptonite tipped. Nightwing tapped his fingers rhythmically as he studied the photos from the alley that was thought to be the crime scene.

"Well, something is really getting at you. I've been standing here for two whole minutes and you didn't even notice," Batgirl, now Barbara said as she leaned against the doorframe that led off to the kitchen.

"None of this makes any sense," Dick told her still entranced be the photos.

"Yes, it does. See, if you look at the paw prints they are for sure Krypto's because every animals paw print is like a human's finger print, they are all different. I did some analysis and the paw prints in the alleyway are definitely Krypto's. Also, the chemical analysis on the dart just finished and it looks like that the dart was in fact laced with Kryptonite. Something or one lured Krypto into the alley and sedated him on the spot. The questions are who or what did that to him? why? and where is Krypto?" Barbara told him matter-of-factly while holding up the chemical analysis report up to Dick.

"I know that, but..." Dick started.

"But what, Dick?" Barbara pressed.

"All the plausible criminals were either locked up or have a solid alibi at the estimated time of Krypto's capture. None of this adds up. Luthor could care less about Krypto, he only cares about Kara, Conner and Clark. All the other typical criminals or even intellectual criminals wouldn't need anything to do with Krypto. In short, there is no plausible criminal to even interrogate or even look into. We are at a dead end," Dick told Barbara. Barbara looked at him and saw all signs of hope depleted and replaced with defeat.

"Don't talk like that. If you lose hope, then everyone does and if everyone loses hope we for sure won't find Krypto," Barbara told him sternly before she turned to the photos in front of them. "Plus, we aren't necessarily at a dead end."

Dick gave Barbara a confused look that urged her to go on.

"Look at the top of that building. Opposite of Chez Joey's," Barbara pointed out to him.

"A Lex Corp. building. What about it?" Dick asked.

"What does every Lex Corp., Wayne Tech., bank, or any high class building have in common?" Barbara countered.

"Money," Dick answered slightly unsure.

"No, well, yes. When you have a lot of money how do you protect that money?" Barbara prodded.

"Security."

"Yes. And what kind of security watches your every move twenty-four-seven?"

Barbara could visibly see the light bulb go off in his head as he replied, "Surveillance cameras."

* * *

_April 15 9:15 am Eastern Time - S.T.A.R. Labs with Tamar and Dax_

"I told you to find that dog even if it cost you your own life! Did I not?!" Dax yelled at the security officers standing in front of him. "The dog could be anywhere in this facility by now! I can't believe it! The world's finest defeated by a small dog! For Pete's sake, get your head in the game and find me that dog!"

With that the officers scurried away in a hurry.

"Dax, we will find the Superdog soo-" Tamar started.

"I don't want soon, Tamar. I want that dog now!" Taken aback by the tone that Dax was using with her, Tamar took a small step back in slight fear of him.

"I understand that the Superdog is important to our investigation, but-"

"But what, Tamar?" The Reach Ambassador raged. "You can't just pick up another Superdog off the street by chance. That dog is a one of a kind and if the Reach drink chemicals works on that dog then it can work on Kryptonians. We already know that the drink can work on humans and normal dogs, but if we can get three Kryptonians - four including the dog - then we have the most powerful beings on our side. Now do you understand how important that dog is to our research - to your research?"

"Yes, I understand," Tamar said with a new light in her eyes. "Now find that Superdog."

* * *

_April 15th Eastern Time - Mount Justice_

"Ok, I'm totally fine with watching a documentary or even educational television, but surveillance videos are the most boring of them all. The only good thing out of this is popcorn," Wally complained. He received a glare from Dinah. "And finding Krypto. Finding Krypto is a good thing that comes out of this too. Yeesh, you didn't let me finish."

"Hey Wally," Karen said.

"Yeah," Wally replied.

"Just shut up, watch the video and give me some popcorn," she replied.

"And I thought Artemis was demanding," Wally mumbled as he passed Conner the popcorn, who took a hand full of before passing it to Karen on his right. Ignoring Wally's comment to sulk slightly over her lost friend, Karen filled her small bowel full of popcorn before handing it back to Ollie knowing he loved popcorn.

"What are we looking for exactly again?" Ollie asked as he passed Dinah the huge popcorn bucket. Everyone turned and gave him the _are you serious?_ glare. "What? I'm getting old. Old people forget things." Everyone turned back to the holographic screen and Dinah withdrew a breath to start explaining to her 'old' boyfriend what was going on. Before Dinah could get a peep in Dick announced, "That's what we're looking for," as he pointed at the screen.

On the screen there was a paused frame od Krypto sniffing and the Kryptonite laced dart flying at him from the spot that Dick estimated a few days ago. On the Chez Joey's building there was a dark shadow.

"Play it frame by frame," Barbara told him. Her and Dick were the closest to the screen than everyone else with Ace, the Bathound, laying down next to the folding chairs. Now everyone was alert along with Ace as Dick played the tape frame by frame until Barbara told him to pause the tape once more. The screen now showed the dark figure, a person it was believed, picking up the sedated Krypto. Little did the figure know that it was staring right at the camera.

"Is that..?" Wally asked.

"Uh huh," Dick replied with the same shocked and surprised expression as Wally. The two were acting as if they were in a trance by the freezed frame on the screen.

"And are we..?"

"Uh huh."

"Are they..?"

"Nuh uh."

"Do they..?"

"Nuh uh."

"Do we..?"

"No." That response was the only clear thing the rest of the team understood from Wally and Dick's conversation.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it's been a while. I had a bunch of exams and then I went on vacation. Anyways, you are probably wondering what Wally was asking Dick. Here it is:**

**"Is that Dax?" (from having Artemis and Kaldur undercover I thought that they would know the Ambassadors name).**

**"Yeah."**

**"And are we still going to go after Krypto?"**

**"Yeah."**

**"Are they going to help?" ('they' being Artemis and Kaldur)**

**"Nope."**

**"Do they know about this?" ('this' being the Krypto situation)**

**"Nope."**

**"Do we tell the team that they are undercover?" (the team will probably encounter either Artemis or Kaldur or both. I haven't decided yet.)**

**"No."**

**That ends the translation. Hopefully I'll get a new chapter up sooner than I got this one up.**


End file.
